Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31477019›Full record

ArticleBMC microbiology2019

Peptidoglycan-type analysis of the N-acetylmuramic acid auxotrophic oral pathogen Tannerella forsythia and reclassification of the peptidoglycan-type of Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Valentina M T Mayer, Isabel Hottmann, Rudolf Figl, Friedrich Altmann, Christoph Mayer, Christina Schäffer

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC microbiology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. HAdvanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Obtaining Muramic Acid fromLife (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Article
  5. Review
  6. Mutanolysin-Digested Peptidoglycan ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2023
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Valentina M T MayerDepartment of NanoBiotechnology, NanoGlycobiology unit, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Vienna, Austria.
Isabel HottmannDepartment of Biology, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany.
Rudolf FiglDepartment of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Vienna, Austria.
Friedrich AltmannDepartment of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Vienna, Austria.
Christoph MayerDepartment of Biology, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany. christoph.mayer@uni-tuebingen.de.
Christina SchäfferDepartment of NanoBiotechnology, NanoGlycobiology unit, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Vienna, Austria. christina.schaeffer@boku.ac.at.ORCID 0000-0003-1613-7258
BOKU University · ATUniversity of Tübingen · DEUniversity of Vienna · AT

Funding

Austrian Science Fund FWF I 2875Austrian Science Fund FWF P 26836
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTannerella forsythia is a Gram-negative oral pathogen. Together with Porphyromonas gingivalis and Treponema denticola it constitutes the "red complex" of bacteria, which is crucially associated with periodontitis, an inflammatory disease of the tooth supporting tissues that poses a health burden worldwide. Due to the absence of common peptidoglycan biosynthesis genes, the unique bacterial cell wall sugar N-acetylmuramic acid (MurNAc) is an essential growth factor of T. forsythia to build up its peptidoglycan cell wall. Peptidoglycan is typically composed of a glycan backbone of alternating N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and MurNAc residues that terminates with anhydroMurNAc (anhMurNAc), and short peptides via which the sugar backbones are cross-linked to build up a bag-shaped network.

resultsWe investigated T. forsythia's peptidoglycan structure, which is an essential step towards anti-infective strategies against this pathogen. A new sensitive radioassay was developed which verified the presence of MurNAc and anhMurNAc in the cell wall of the bacterium. Upon digest of isolated peptidoglycan with endo-N-acetylmuramidase, exo-N-acetylglucosaminidase and muramyl-L-alanine amidase, respectively, peptidoglycan fragments were obtained. HPLC and mass spectrometry (MS) analyses revealed the presence of GlcNAc-MurNAc-peptides and the cross-linked dimer with retention-times and masses, respectively, equalling those of control digests of Escherichia coli and P. gingivalis peptidoglycan. Data were confirmed by tandem mass spectrometry (MS

conclusionT. forsythia peptidoglycan is of the A1γ-type like that of E. coli. Additionally, the classification of P. gingivalis peptidoglycan as A3γ needs to be revised to A1γ, due to the presence of meso-DAP instead of LL-DAP, as reported previously.

Indexed as

Autotrophic ProcessesCell WallHumansMass SpectrometryMouthMuramic AcidsPeptidoglycanPeriodontitisPorphyromonas gingivalisTannerella forsythiaMuramic AcidsN-acetylmuramic acidPeptidoglycanDiaminopimelic acidPeptidoglycanPorphyromonas gingivalisRadioassayTannerella forsythia

Identifiers

PMID31477019
PMCPMC6721243
OpenAlexW2970759296

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.